When you find yourself back at the same establishment again within days, it’s the first sign that you’re hooked. Second sign is when you find their Chicken Liver Sashimi living rent free in your head everyday after the first hookup!

You gotta take a bow low to enter Mobomoga’s Hobbit front door into a dimly lit sake bar Izakaya decked in dark wood counter seats, with mellow disco beats in the background. Above the open kitchen hung a disco ball and by 10pm when everyone’s happily hydrated, the disco lights come on!

Chef Hiro helms the kitchen with an assistant chef, while Nakamura San manages the crowd and everything else. The 3-man show flows flawlessly, complete with chats, smiles, laughs, drinks, and grooves!

First call of duty, some Highballs. We got a bottle of Suntory Kaku Whiskey (SGD145) to take us through the night. The most offbeat dishes always catch my attention first. And at Mobomoga, it was the Chicken Liver Sashimi.

Despite its name, it isn’t raw. It is sous vide-d to medium rare doneness, resulting to a fine, velvety, creamy finish. Served cold under a heap of savory garlicky chives and onions. The crunchy salad with its warm spiciness against the soft melty liver is beyond heavenly! Never have I tasted such fine texture in chicken liver. It was superb! And a clear-cut MUST TRY!

It’s hard to follow the exquisite Chicken Liver Sashimi, but the Monkfish Liver in Ponzu Sauce (SGD18) was a winner in its own way. I liked the marinated cucumber slices that accompanied it. Every element, from the creamy liver to softly crunchy cured cucumber bound together in a sweet tart ponzu dressing. Also a MUST TRY!

To complete the offbeat range, we had seasonal Cod Milt (SGD22) which came as fresh as it possibly can (no pun intended)! The large packed sacs of milt… white as snow, smooth as butter, and juicy as gossip, explodes in the mouth in full umami greatness! No amount of gossip will beat this!

We got some Aburi Stingray Fins (SGD12) to nibble between sips of Highball, but alas! They too were so delicious, we polished them off faster than planned! Unlike most stingray fins, these at Mobomoga’s were thick and meaty; and grilled to a smoky finish, leaving the fins crisp and tender at the same time.

The next few items are Nakamura San’s personal favorites.. First impression of the Crab Cream Croquette w/ Salmon Roe (SGD18) – Huge! My! Just looking at’em big mounds of panko crusted balls make me smile! The light airy crust breaks open into a thick warm potato cream with bits of corn. The crabmeat and ikura were minimal accessories to the big croquette. I would have felt rather shortchanged if the croquette alone didn’t taste so dang good!

Kurobuta Pork Minced Cutlet (SGD16) … basically a big fat juicy pork patty slathered in sweet tare sauce, with a raw yolk smashed in. Nuff said!

Tuna & Egg Yolk Sushi Roll (SGD28) sounds nothing like your conventional sushi. Nakamura San nodding enthusiastically when we probed about it was the only persuasion we needed. And we would in turn recommend it to anyone that likes something unconventional. The maki contained the usual suspects and a cured egg yolk. Sounds straightforward enough; but if I were to guess Chef Hiro’s super power, it’d be his ability to make everything…. I mean, EVERYTHING… creeeeammmy! The yolk was luscious and silky against the sticky rice, crisp seaweed and firm maguro. It added a warm richness to the rice roll in a fresh new way!

Already unbuckling our pants, but we persevered and went for one more dish, their specialty Oden (SGD18). And it was special indeed. My first experience with Oden in a dark broth. So it’s sweeter and saltier than the usual. And the full flavors penetrated deep into the radish, fish cake and beef tendons.

Naturally, and sadly, I had no room left for dessert… Ice Cream in Mochi Wrap will have to wait!

At our second visit to Mobomoga, barely a week later, we got to try some other dishes on top of the Chicken Liver Sashimi and Cod Milt. In Chicken Hearts Salad (SGD12), a handful of spongy chicken hearts were served alongside leafy salad leaves in vinaigrette dressing. It wasn’t screaming good, but still decent.

Sweet Shrimp Shiokara (SGD12), on the other hand, consists of some beautifully shiokara marinated raw prawns that tingled the taste buds. The plump crystal prawns were cured in a unique shiokara marinade which is an exotic fermentation process which gives the prawns a subtle fishiness and saltiness to match its natural sweetness.

I’m not one to order Spring rolls of any kind on any given day. It just seems too common, too processed, and somewhat unimpressionable. Somehow, the “eel” in Spring Rolls w/ Eel & Fried Burdock Root (SGD16) caught my eyes and now I feel I owe the humble burrito an apology…! First of all, the packed spring rolls were impeccably fried! The crisp in the wrap was shatteringly light and grease free. The sweet burdock vegetable and eel filling was seasoned beautifully and though there wasn’t a lot of eel in sight, it was very present in the mouth. This might shockingly go on my ”Must Order Again” list!

We couldn’t resist one more dish before calling it a night. And the Grilled Yellowtail Collar (SGD32) on Today’s Special Board was calling out to us. Yea.. why not? It’s just a little collar. Well, the “collar” turned out to be an entire half head of a very healthy adult Yellowtail. We stared at the head, half worried we couldn’t finish it; but mostly excited what’s to come! Our chopsticks dug into the thick collar and out came a fat chunk of sweet juicy meat. Within minutes, I had gone all in with my fingers and cleaned out every sliver of meat, skin, brain and eyes!

To say I thoroughly enjoyed my meal (both of them) is an understatement. I loved every minute at this little restaurant bar, from the food to the music, vibes, setup and especially the people! Nakamura San is a natural with his customers.. making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed with his cool, friendly mannerisms. Hailing from Ipoh Malaysia but having lived a good decade in Japan, he knows what ticks and effortlessly appeases both local and Japanese patrons. Chef Hiro casts a striking demeanor at first sight! The big guy works sedulously and quietly behind the counter like a Commander in Chief! That is until you catch the twinkle in his eyes, chat him up and knock down a beer together, he turns into the sweetest and most affable fella! His food is both straightforward and creative; delivering exquisite taste either way.

I’m totally sold on Mobomoga.. and counting the days I’ll return… which would likely be soon! And if this caught your attention and you’re thinking about visiting, make sure you make that reservation! It’s a small joint and they can get very busy.

MOBOMOGA @ 207 River Valley Rd, #01-58 River Wing, UE Square, Singapore 238275 Phone: +65 6219 3430

Disclaimer ~ This is not a sponsored post!